


How to Talk to Strangers Without Passing Out, and Other Tips for Your First Artist Alley

by ellipsometry



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Alley AU, Gen, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellipsometry/pseuds/ellipsometry
Summary: “And, anyway, I figured out—" It’s alarming to see a guy like this – tall, conventionally attractive, alarmingly normal-looking in a way that makes him stand out against the candy-colored artist alley offerings – actually stumble over his words.  “I do know you.  It’s Bernadetta, right?  I’m a huge fan of your writing!  I didn’t know did art stuff too!”Ah,Bernadetta thinks, hand itching toward her purse, and the sweet promise of pepper spray inside.So this is how I die.Bernadetta goes to her first Artist Alley, and meets her biggest fan.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier & Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 16
Kudos: 122
Collections: Valentine's Day Lockers 2020





	How to Talk to Strangers Without Passing Out, and Other Tips for Your First Artist Alley

**Author's Note:**

> a v-lockers gift 4 masha!!!! :)

BEAGLES 4 LYFE  
  
You guys…. There’s a guy here >~<  
Linhardt  
yes bernadetta that’s quite the point of a convention  
many people gathering together to, i don’t know  
wear silly outfits and postulate about hypothetical anime fights  
Dorothea  
Lin LOL  
jdfsklf no i mean!!! there’s a guy here at my table!!  
and he’s just been standing here for so long!!  
Dorothea  
Oh dear… he’s just standing there not saying anything?  
Are you able to call security?  
Linhardt  
have you considered asking him if he wants to buy anything?  
…. No….  
Linhardt  
consider it  


Bernadetta’s art professor encourages her to expand her point of view. That’s a very nice way of saying _leave your room every once in a while, for the Goddess’ sake._ And she knows Byleth has her best intentions at heart, which is how Bernadetta gathers the courage to apply for her local anime convention’s artist alley in the first place. 

But then something goes horribly, horribly wrong. She actually gets accepted.

Linnie :)  
  
i’m not going … i can’t!!  
you’re going  
here i’m sending you ignatz’s number, he’ll be there too  
he did a nice commission of my fursona he’s really experienced with this stuff  
okay thank you lin…  
WAIT YOUR WHAT!!!!!!!!  
LINHARDT!!!!  
**Read** 8:57 PM  


Ignatz is actually quite helpful. Bernadetta gets her paperwork settled, designs a table setup, prepares extra inventory, and even practices her most welcoming smile in the mirror. Making and selling stuff has always been a hobby – she’s usually more of a writer, after all – but maybe this will help broaden her horizons? Maybe she’ll even make a few new friends?

So, it’s all going well. Until _he_ shows up.

It’s easy to categorize different convention-goers. Cosplayers and their handlers, overly-serious middle-aged men, teenagers dragging their bewildered parents along. This guy seems outside of all those boundaries. He’s handsome in a frat boy kind of way, wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with an unfamiliar sports team logo, and looking less at Bernadetta’s wares than he is looking at her, eyes narrowed and calculating.

“C-Can I help you with anything?” Bernadetta is shaking so hard her charms are rattling against their displays.

“Oh, um,” the guy looks surprisingly sheepish. “Sorry, I was just— your shop name looked familiar, and I was trying to figure out if I knew you from somewhere.”

“Oh. Okay.” Bernadetta wonders if her pepper spray is still in her purse.

“And, anyway, I figured out—" It’s alarming to see a guy like this – tall, conventionally attractive, alarmingly normal-looking in a way that makes him stand out against the candy-colored artist alley offerings – actually stumble over his words. “I do know you. It’s Bernadetta, right? I’m a huge fan of your writing! I didn’t know did art stuff too!”

_Ah,_ Bernadetta thinks, hand itching toward her purse, and the sweet promise of pepper spray inside. _So this is how I die._

“How do you make this stuff anyway?” The man is delicately lifting one of her shaker charms in a giant hand. He’s so massive he has to crouch down to even look at it.

“I… make them.” Bernadetta blinks. “I mean, I use resin molds. And then, well, it’s kind of a whole process – you have to get the inside bits, and the hardest part is making the molds themselves—” The man is still watching her, nodding with what appears to be genuine interest, and if there’s one thing Bernadetta’s never learned how to do, it’s stop talking once she gets going about her interests.

By the time she exhausts herself, the man is smiling bemusedly, and there’s a small line forming behind him of people trying to get her attention, credit cards in hand. “Oh. Oh no.”

“Sorry to monopolize your time,” the man says, winking. “I’m Sylvain, by the way. I’ll let you get to your customers, but could I stop by later?”

“Um, of course,” Bernadetta’s mind blanks. “It’s a free country, or something.”

The man – Sylvain – laughs so loudly Bernadetta startles. And still, as she watches him walk away and turns to welcome her newcomers, she finds herself actually looking forward to talking to him again.

Ignatz  
  
ignatz can i ask a stupid question  
when are we supposed to eat?  
Ah, you’ve discovered the first dilemma of tabling.  
You can leave your table to grab something, but unfortunately some people will snag things in your absence.   
that’s awful :(  
A sad reality.  
Do you have someone who can get you something? Should I ask Raphael to grab you some food while he’s out for me?  
oh no don’t it’s okay please don’t bother him!! I’ll figure it out don’t worry about me  


Cell service is horrible. Bernadetta has to refund multiple customers after she accidentally double-charges them trying to get the shitty wi-fi to work. Talking to so many new people, even if they’re all kind and complimentary, is pushing her to her limit. The fluorescent lights overhead are giving her a horrible headache. And she’s _hungry,_ and the granola bars stashed at the bottom of her con bag aren’t doing much to help.

This is when Sylvain returns.

“Hey cutie – woah, you look like you’ve had a rough afternoon.”

“I have,” Bernadetta croaks. Even trying to embroider to calm herself down isn’t working, and she looks down dejectedly at her hoop, the misshapen venus flytrap staring back up at her. “So, if you don’t need anything…”

Bernadetta’s about to ask him, ever-so-kindly, to leave her the fuck alone. Which is when she spots the greasy paper bag in Sylvain’s hand, extended toward her.

“Is that…”

“For you!” Sylvain grins. “I know you guys don’t get a chance to leave at these things, so I’ll be your knight in shining amour for the day. Good thing I showed up when I did, you look ready to pass out.”

Bernadetta holds back tears, “Th-Thank you…” And then, as an afterthought, “I don’t eat meat, though.”

“No worries, it’s a veggie burger,” Sylvain dips around the corner, joining her behind the table. He doesn’t seem one for boundaries. “I follow you on Twitter so— not to be a creep or anything, but I know you’re veggie.”

“Oh goddess.” Bernadetta had almost – _almost_ – forgotten that he mentioned knowing her. She would certainly scream if she had the energy for it.

He passes over the bag, and sits down by her chair, back propped up against the structure of her table, so he can face her. “Anyway, the price of my benevolence is that you let me pick your mind. I did tell you I love your stories, right?”

“Y-You did say,” Bernadetta squeaks out through a mouthful of fries.

Sylvain pulls out his phone, and _oh Goddess please no, please no_ pulls up her AO3 profile, pointing out his favorite fic of hers, waxing poetic about each one in order. Bernadetta has hope in her heart that he will scroll past her latest explicit fic – a new foray, for her, as it took ages to write anything smutty without wanting to dip her head in acid – but Sylvain does no such thing. In fact, he dwells on it for quite a while, complimenting the way she described the sweat dripping down one character’s neck or some other such nonsense. Bernadetta feels herself evaporating.

In the middle of his rambling, Bernadetta actually takes a look at his screen. “Oh, that’s you?” Bernadetta finally pipes up, pointing at Sylvain’s username. “I recognize that name… you always leave very sweet comments.” Comments kind enough that they had, on more than one occasion, reminded her why she loved writing so much in the first place, why she bothered to do something as terrifying and vulnerable as to put herself out there, to pour her heart out and hope that someone else understands.

Except, someone like Sylvain wasn’t exactly who she thought would understand.

Sylvain is blushing, just a bit. Enough that Bernadetta can see for a moment that he’s just a person, like she is, like any of her other friends. Enough that his shiny, overly-confident veneer drops for a moment. “Look, I told you I was a fan!”

“I… didn’t really believe you.”

“Even after I rambled for, like, thirty minutes about your fics?” Sylvain laughs. “You’re a strange one.”

“Look who’s talking,” Bernadetta pouts. “But, um. Thank you. Your comments always make me smile.”

Sylvain winks, “That’s my job, makin’ ladies smile.” And, maybe upon realizing he’s just put back that shiny, over-the-top veneer, he winces, standing up abruptly. “Well, I’ll let you be. Thanks for letting me fanboy at you for a little bit.”

“U-Um, actually,” Bernadetta reaches out, grabbing Sylvain’s sleeve, and he freezes. “Did you want to stay? I could use the help, if you don’t, um, have anything else to do. I mean, you probably do, I’m stupid for asking but—”

“Bernadetta,” Sylvain holds up a hand to stop her, bemused. “It’s okay. I’d love to stick around.”

“Oh,” Bernadetta releases his sleeve, face cycling through ten different shades of red. Gods it’s embarrassing being her. “Thank you.”

“Maybe I can help you pump up sales,” Sylvain strokes his chin. “Should I take my shirt off? Advertise old-fashioned Abercrombie style?”

“Please don’t.”

But she’s laughing now, and finally feeling the headache from the horrid fluorescent lights and lack of food leaving her, and the rest of the afternoon doesn’t feel quite so daunting anymore.

Actually, she’s starting to have a lot of fun. 

BEAGLES 4 LYFE  
  
Edelgard  
Caspar would you be awfully offended if I re-name our group chat?  
Caspar  
:(  
wuts wrong w beagles 4 lyfe???  
Linhardt  
indeed edelgard, what’s wrong with it?  
lol  
Edelgard  
Oh never mind.  
Bernadetta how was your convention? I’m sorry I couldn’t stop by.  
no worries!!! hubert came by to help me pack everything up  
i actually had a really great time, my charms were a hit!  
OH and I made a friend!!!!!!!  
Linhardt  
see i knew you could do it  
Edelgard  
That’s wonderful!  
Dorothea  
Who’s your new friend? ;)  
_Bernadetta Attached an Image:_ [bernieandsylv.jpg]  
actually he goes to GMM too!  
Dorothea  
………….. SYLVAIN????????????????  
Linhardt  
oh my god  
you know him :?  
Edelgard  
Oh my. What a surprise.  
Dorothea  
Bernie I'm coming over right now IMMEDIATELY  
Linhardt  
oh me too i wanna hear this  
uhmmmm okay  
Caspar  
idk him but i’m glad u had fun bernie!  
Thank you caspar :)  


Sylvain!  
  
Bernieeeeeeee  
That last update was so good!!  
But you owe me lunch for making me tear up again  
Dining hall at 2??  
>:)   
see you then!  



End file.
